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Nikon D5500: from Snapshots to Great Shots

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Nikon D5500: from Snapshots to Great Shots Nikon D5500: From Snapshots to Great Shots Rob Sylvan Nikon D5500: From Snapshots to Great Shots Rob Sylvan Peachpit Press www.peachpit.com To report errors, please send a note to [email protected] Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education Copyright © 2015 Peachpit Press All photographs © Rob Sylvan except where indicated Acquisitions Editor: Susan Rimerman Project Editor: Valerie Witte Senior Production Editor: Lisa Brazieal Copyeditor: Suki Gear Composition: WolfsonDesign Indexer: Karin Arrigoni Cover Image: Rob Sylvan Cover Design: Aren Straiger Interior Design: Mimi Heft Notice of Rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact [email protected]. Notice of Liability The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it. Trademarks From Snapshots to Great Shots” is a trademark, in the U.S. and/or other countries, of Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates. All Nikon products are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nikon and/or Nikon Corporation. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book. ISBN-13: 978-0-134-18547-7 ISBN-10: 0-134-18547-1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed and bound in the United States of America The camera used while writing this From Snapshots to Great Shots book was generously provided by B&H Photo. www.bhphotovideo.com Dedication For Uncle Tony—this one’s for you! Acknowledgments My deepest thanks go to Jeff Revell, the author of a number of books in the From Snapshots to Great Shots series, and specifically the book on the D5000, which I had the honor and pleasure of updating for the D5100, D5200, D5300, and now the D5500. Jeff is a tremendous photographer and gifted teacher. Thank you for providing such a sound foundation upon which to build. Any book that has reached the final stage of being published is actually the work of many hands (eyes, brains, and hearts, too) behind the scenes. I owe everyone at Peachpit a great deal of gratitude, but specifically Susan Rimerman, Valerie Witte, Suki Gear, Lisa Brazieal, WolfsonDesign, Karin Arrigoni, Sara Jane Todd, and Nancy Aldrich-Ruenzel, who were instrumental in getting this book finished, making it look so darn fantastic, and putting it out into the world. Thank you all. A special thanks to David Brommer and B&H Photo Video for help in securing the D5500 I used to write this book. I am grateful for all that I have learned from my friends at the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, from the fantastic instructors at Photoshop World, and of course from my friends and fellow photographers at www.stocksy.com and www.thedigitalphotoworkshops.com. You all have taught and inspired me over the years. I also want to thank my wife, Paloma, for being the love of my life and my number one supporter during this project; my son, Quinn, for assisting me on many shoots and being the model in many more; and my family, friends, and neighbors—Adrienne, Emma, Julia, Paige, Shiela, Ron, Kris, Max, Otis, Hayden, Jaylin, Alden, Jayda, Maggie, Raymond, Kayla, Justin, Nekos, Ben, and Scott—for being a part of the book in large and small ways. Also, a big shout-out to Crackskull’s Coffee & Books and the New Hampshire Media Makers. Thanks, guys! Contents INTRODUCTION XI CHAPTER 1: THE D5500 TOP TEN LIST 1 Ten Tips to Make Your Shooting More Productive Right Out of the Box 1 Poring Over the Camera 2 Poring Over the Camera 4 1. Charge Your Battery 5 2. Adjust Your Auto Off Timer Setting 6 3. Set Your JPEG Image Quality 7 4. Choose Your ISO Setting 9 5. Set Your Focus Point and Mode 11 6. Set the Correct White Balance 13 7. Set Your Color Space 16 8. Know How to Override Autofocus 17 9. Review Your Shots 18 10. Hold Your Camera for Proper Shooting 20 Chapter 1 Assignments 24 CHAPTER 2: FIRST THINGS FIRST 27 A Few Things to Know and Do Before You Begin Taking Pictures Poring Over the Picture 28 Choosing the Right Memory Card 30 Formatting Your Memory Card 31 Updating the D5500’s Firmware 32 Cleaning the Sensor 33 Using the Right Format: RAW vs. JPEG 35 Lenses and Focal Lengths 38 What Is Exposure? 43 Motion and Depth of Field 46 Chapter 2 Assignments 49 CONTENTS V CHAPTER 3: THE AUTO MODES 51 Get Shooting with the Automatic Camera Modes Poring Over the Picture 52 Auto Mode 54 Auto (Flash Off) Mode 55 Scene Modes 56 Effects Modes 66 Why You May Never Want to Use the Auto Scene Modes Again 70 Chapter 3 Assignments 72 CHAPTER 4: THE PROFESSIONAL MODES 75 Taking Your Photography to the Next Level Poring Over the Picture 76 P: Program Mode 78 S: Shutter Priority Mode 81 A: Aperture Priority Mode 85 M: Manual Mode 89 How I Shoot: A Closer Look at the Camera Settings I Use 92 Chapter 4 Assignments 96 CHAPTER 5: MOVING TaRGETS 99 Tricks for Shooting Subjects in Motion Poring Over the Picture 100 Stop Right There! 102 Using Shutter Priority (S) Mode to Stop Motion 105 Using Aperture Priority (A) Mode to Isolate Your Subject 107 The Auto ISO Sensitivity Control Trick 109 Keep Them in Focus with Continuous-Servo Focus and AF Focus Point Selection 110 Stop and Go with 3D-Tracking AF 113 Manual Focus for Anticipated Action 113 Keeping Up with the Continuous Shooting Mode 115 A Sense of Motion 116 Tips for Shooting Action 118 Chapter 5 Assignments 121 VI NIKON D5500: FROM SNAPSHOTS TO GREAT SHOTS CHAPTER 6: SAY CHEESE! 123 Settings and Features to Make Great Portraits Poring Over the Picture 124 Automatic Portrait Mode 126 Aperture Priority Mode 126 Metering Modes for Portraits 128 The AE-L (Auto Exposure Lock) Feature 130 Focusing: The Eyes Have It 131 Classic Black and White Portraits 133 The Portrait Picture Control for Better Skin Tones 135 Face Detection with Live View 136 Using Fill Flash to Reduce Shadows 137 Portraits on the Move 140 Tips for Shooting Better Portraits 140 Chapter 6 Assignments 147 CHAPTER 7: LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY 149 Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Get the Most Out of Your Landscape Photography Poring Over the Picture 150 Sharp and In Focus: Using Tripods 152 Selecting the Proper ISO 154 Using Noise Reduction 156 Selecting a White Balance 157 Using the Landscape Picture Control 159 Taming Overexposure with Exposure Compensation 160 Shooting Beautiful Black and White Landscapes 162 The Golden Light 164 Where to Focus 165 Easier Focusing 166 Making Water Fluid 167 Directing the Viewer: A Word About Composition 169 Advanced Techniques to Explore 172 Chapter 7 Assignments 182 VII CHAPTER 8: MOOD LIGHTING 185 Shooting When the Lights Get Low Poring Over the Picture 186 Raising the ISO: The Simple Solution 188 Using Very High ISOs 190 Stabilizing the Situation 192 Focusing in Low Light 193 Shooting Long Exposures 196 Using the Built-In Flash 198 Compensating for the Flash Exposure 201 Reducing Red-Eye 203 Rear Curtain Sync 206 Flash and Glass 208 A Few Words About External Flash 209 Chapter 8 Assignments 210 CHAPTER 9: ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 213 Impress Your Family and Friends Poring Over the Picture 214 Spot Metering for More Exposure Control 216 Shooting in Manual Mode 218 Avoiding Lens Flare 220 Using the Sun Creatively 221 Bracketing Exposures 223 Macro Photography 225 Using Active D-Lighting 226 Interval Timer Shooting 229 Chapter 9 Assignments 231 VIII NIKON D5500: FROM SNAPSHOTS TO GREAT SHOTS CHAPTER 10: D5500 VIDEO: BEYOND THE BASICS 233 Video and the D5500 It’s All About the Lenses 238 Accessories for Video 239 Getting Shallow Depth of Field 241 Giving a Different Look to Your Videos 242 Tips for Better Video 243 Watching and Editing Your Video 245 Chapter 10 Assignments 247 CHAPTER 11: ACCESSORIZE 249 Upgrades and Accessories to Expand Your Camera’s Creative Potential Filters 250 Tripods 254 Remote or Cable Release 255 Macro Photography Accessories 256 Hot-Shoe Flashes 258 Diffusers 258 Camera Bags 259 Bits and Pieces 259 Conclusion 261 INDEX 262 BONUS CHAPTER 12: CREATIVE COMPOSITIONS 12-1 IX This page intentionally left blank Introduction The D5500 is an amazing piece of technology and a very capable tool for creating photographs that you will be proud to show others. The intention of this book is not to rehash the owner’s manual that came with the camera or the downloadable Reference Manual PDF, but rather to be a resource for learning how to improve your photography while using your D5500.
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